Shadow in the Forest
by Ninjalover200
Summary: About a young girl, who chases her dream to win the Boone annual winter race, by taming a  wild stallion named "Shadow"


** This is the story of a young girl, who moves to the woods of Boone, and sets her heart out to capture and tame the wild horse "Shadow"

CHAPTER 1

I never expected living in Boone, NC to be much fun. All I saw, was that it was some small town, out in the middle of nowhere. End of story. It was one of those "People all up in your business" sort of towns, where once you say one thing, the whole town would know. But it did have one thing I liked, and that was legends. Legends of a flying shadow, that had the scream of a cougar, and flew like the wind. Now, when you live in a place where theres nothing to do, listening to these legends becomes pretty interesting. But finding them, is a whole other ballgame...

My names Catherine Walsh, but you can call me Cat. Me and mom moved down here to "get away from the city life." whatever that means. Back in D.C, there were these places called "parks" you could go to, to get away, but thats what I thought then. After the decision was made, I decided it couldnt be to bad, though i'd miss the horses I would be leaving behind. Even if it was all city, there was one place I would always go to, to get away from school and home stress. That was the race track. I dont know about you, but flipping burgers isnt my idea of a job. If im going to work hard, it needs to be something I can actually enjoy, not some boring "woah dude, look at this burger!" kinda thing. My perfect idea of a job, was an exercise jockey. I loved nothing more than the smell of freshly washed horses, and the feeling of mist flying into my face during a morning run. Being a jockey, I exercised a ton of horses, but had my heart on one. "StreakJet" was his name, but I just called him Jet. His fire red coat gleamed in the morning rays, and he had more muscle than a body builder on steroids. He had the stride of a champion, but never would be. After a tractor went berserk, Jet bolted to get away, only to tear a tendon. He was alright, but had to be retired before he could even race. Still, I loved just walking by and visiting the old guy. It was something I would surely miss.

After moving into our new house, I found that I was going to be one extremely bored kid. "Mom, TV up yet? Mom, computer up yet? Mom, any food in the fridge? Mom, any cell service?" after a million questions, she finally kicked me out, telling me to "explore the outdoors" Yeah mom, get eaten by a cougar, and not be able to call for help because you kicked me out of the house without my phone, sure, I'll do that. Sighing, I walked downtown, walking though the little tourist shops that were set up. "Arrowheads of luck!" "Buy now, and get 2 gemstones free!" Staring at the adds, I honestly wondered what went through peoples heads, while they bought that crap. Continuing down the street, the air began to cut like a knife through my jacket, and leaves slapped me across the face. Quickly, I walked into the little library, closing the door shut behind me. The smell of paper and dust filled my nose as I began to explore the shanty of a library. I was beginning to look through the comic section when the voice of an old lady pulsed into my back. "Hello ma'am, anything I can help you with?" "WAHHHH!" was my first thought. How the heck did this old lady appear first off? Shes gotta be ninja... "Um, no thanks, ive got all the books ive wanted." I told her, putting a fake smile on while walking up to the check out desk. "Ohhh, horse lover I see. Hmmm, I have the perfect book for you." When an old lady says shes got the perfect book for you, do the smart thing, run. Its probably about knitting, or how to cook, or worse...how to sew. But of, course, that said, what did I do? I stayed, glued to the spot as I watched in horror as she pulled an old dusty book of the shelf. Slamming it down on the desk, she smiled. "THIS will surely interest a horse lover like you." Staring at the faded cover, I quietly asked. "Um...pardon me, buuut...whats it about?" Smiling, the old lady pulled up a chair, her small beady eyes gleaming with excitement. "Come, sit, you might as well listen to the story, after all, you wont be going home soon, not in that storm." Uhh...? Staring out the window, I saw snow flakes flying past the window, whiting it out. Oh crap... Sitting down, I stared at the old lady, waiting for her to start. "You see, long ago..." Oh no...please no. Not one of these long ago stories...was my only thought as the woman began to babble and babble. It wasnt until she said mighty shadow, that I started paying attention. "Woah, wait. Mighty shadow? Whats that?" The old lady game me a dirty look, as if it was my fault she talked in a monotone voice. "Well, you see, a few years back,a wild colt was born into the group of wild horses that roam these lands. He was the color of night, with a high crest chest, and a long arched neck, built for speed. The men called him "Mighty shadow" Many attempts were made to capture the wild colt, but none were successful. None of the towns fastest racehorses could catch him. They say, the colt vanished into thin air, like a shadow does when the sun comes out from a rainy day. To this day, Mighty shadow is out there, waiting for someone pure and true to tame him. Many have tried, but all have failed. I highly doubt any of the men can catch that horse, and to train it for the Winter race? Pshh, they're crazy." The word race lit up like a match. "WOAH. You guys have races?" The old woman smiled, placing the book down on the desk. "Why yes. Each winter, the finest horses race against each other through the mountain side, were they must endure extremely cold weather, rough terrain, and outrun the swiftest predators." Before I could ask anymore questions, a man walked in, asking were the gold magazines where. "Um, thanks for your time ma'am!" Was all I said. Goodness that was creepy. I was so worked up into getting home, I didnt realize that I had the books wrapped tightly in my hands.


End file.
